


did you hear that ?

by sirensangel



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Family Bonding, Gen, Ghost Stories, Halloween, Haunting, Slice of Life, halloween special !, mild religious undertone, mutual bonding over ghosts, not that scary sorry because author is a real life scaredy cat, ratchet experiences paranormal activity, ratchet is losing his shit here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26541856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirensangel/pseuds/sirensangel
Summary: “ There’s no such thing as spirits,” Ratchet declared – finality in his tone, before going back to the computer. Eventually, the children resumed their mindless conversation, their laughter echoing not far behind.The discussion laid dormant in the back of his mind for days, nearly forgotten if it wasn’t for the fact that his things started to go missing.( scary fic, halloween special !)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 88





	did you hear that ?

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I know it's not even October yet. But I am back into writing ! My exams are almost over and before I can go back ot updating my multichaps, have a one shot which is originally supposed to be my halloween special but hey, Einstein said time is relative so have this ! <3 I would like to say sorry if it's not that scary as I am a coward in real life who couldn’t take out the trash at night without running, but enjoy ! xoxo

It was Sunday, meaning that the children had every reason to spend the entire day within the base. If it wasn’t for a Decepticon signal, Ratchet would have enjoyed the much-needed peace and quiet of the weekend afternoon. It appears that the three had other plans, and soon Miko was in her corner strumming her guitar while the boys noisily played their video games. Eons of having to work in a public hospital back in Iacon have blessed him with the ability to drone out even the loudest sounds, but once he got the silence he wanted – Ratchet felt immediately uneasy. So he pulled his eyes away from the monitor, opting to see what the kids are doing, only to find three of them huddle by the couch.

“ …Back in her hometown, when my mother still lived with her siblings, she would often hear things falling off the kitchen tables at night. As the oldest sibling, my mother always sleeps last, and by midnight she would hear the chairs being pulled away from the table, plates falling out of the cabinets, even when she knew no one was home or had entered the house. By morning, the kitchen would be a mess.” Raf whispered, face contorting into a grim expression, “ And don’t get me started on _La Llorona_.”

There was a pregnant pause, one Ratchet was eager to fill with a dry laugh because - _spirits_? That was until his eyes landed on Miko, who was starting to look a little pale.

“ I get it.” She shivered, rubbing her arms and scooting closer to Jack, who was squished in between the two storytellers, “ I live in Tokyo, but every summer I would go home to my father’s hometown back in Nagoya. Every time I tell him the house was haunted, he would never believe me – but I can feel it, the sensation of being watched even when I’m alone. Dad used to have one of those old record players laying around, and I swear they would always play without me even touching them. I’ve had things go missing too, and no matter how many offering’s I’ve left out in the shrine, they never stop.”

“ Did your father ever recounted experiencing anything similar – I mean, that was his childhood home, shouldn’t he experience something of the same kind?” Jack asked.

“ Even if he did, he wouldn’t tell me because he didn’t want to scare me off. It’s not like my mom’s side is any better, have any of you been to *Indonesia? Everyone is superstitious there, and her side of the family has loads of experiences that are way scarier than mine.”

“ I’ve never met a ghost before – or see one. Not that I want to,” Jack raised his hands, before thoughtfully staring at his shoes, “ But one time when I was in sixth grade, I had to stay over at a friend’s house cause mom was taking midnight shifts. I could have sworn I heard someone running around the hallways at night, even if he was an only child and was sleeping in the same room with me. I never brought it up though, and it just…slipped my mind.”

They shared a look with one another, grimacing at their own experiences – and Ratchet took this as an opportunity to approach them. “ What is this discussion about spirits ?”

Jack raised his head, “ Don’t you have supernatural stories back on Cybertron?”

He scoffed, “ We do, but I don’t believe in them. Just because there is yet to be a scientific explanation, doesn’t mean you should blame it on the dead.”

“ What about the Primes, aren’t they living proof that spirits do exist?” Raf questioned.

“ That’s an entirely different matter,” He frowned, “ The Primes are somewhat akin to what you’d call gods. They hold power over the universe, over our lifeforms. I doubt anyone else – or anything else have the ability to raise the dead or talk to the living.”

There was a distant roll of thunder in the distance, signaling the oncoming rain. The past few days have been unbearably hot, even for the bots, so to hear that the weather would cool off was a blessing to everyone. Miko frowned at the noise, looking back at her shoulder – and a part of Ratchet hated seeing the girl so unsure. As Bulkhead once put it, “ _Anything that scares Miko, should scare us too.”_

She looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it. Thunder cracked against the sky, causing both boys – and Ratchet to flinch. The roof lightly trembled, and one of the lights by the hallway flickered.

“ Enough about this talk of spirits,” Ratchet huffed, making a motion to end the conversation. Jack turned on the television, “ Yeah, I don’t want to think about it. Anyways, when are you guys coming over to see our cat ?”

“ Oh !” Raf grinned, “ The one you and June rescued a few weeks ago?”

Miko gave Ratchet one last look, before joining in, squealing at the pictures Jack was showing on his phone.

“ There’s no such thing as spirits,” Ratchet declared – finality in his tone, before going back to the computer. Eventually, the children resumed their mindless conversation, their laughter echoing not far behind.

The discussion laid dormant in the back of his mind for days, nearly forgotten if it wasn’t for the fact that his things started to go missing.

* * *

It first started with his tools. Ratchet was never one for sloppiness, he doesn’t like to leave things in a mess and would make it a habit to clean up after himself. He was a grown mech, he doesn’t leave his things around the same way Smokescreen does – and to think years of elite guard training would make him tidy. So when he opens his toolbox to find a screwdriver missing, he nearly turned the entire base upside down searching for that one device.

He interrogated every single member of the team, even Optimus. Arcee, irritated, had told him to just get over it. It took him two days to let it go until he comes back to find two other wrenches missing, and no one could escape his scolding.

“ Ratchet why in the Allspark would I go through your things?” Arcee rolled her eyes, crossing her arms to scowl at the wall. Bumblebee chirped beside her, doorwings flapping in panic of being accused. Bulkhead seemed tired, having been suspected for so many missing objects throughout the week.

“ Maybe you’ve been overworking yourself Ratch, “ the wrecker sighed, “ Everyone does get tired eventually, maybe this is a sign for you to take a break.”

“ From what exactly, Bulkhead?” He frowned, frustration leaking out of his voice, “ I have been doing nothing but monitoring your life signals every time you leave for recon and patching up your injuries, I hardly think restocking our Energon cubes is enough to wear me out hat badly. I may be old but I’m not _that_ old !”

“ Primus Ratchet, everyone makes careless mistakes, maybe you left it somewhere,” Arcee grumbled, kneeling to search under the table. Bumblebee followed, lifting the cushions of the couch.

“ I have never – never even once in my life misplaced a tool. I would never handle medical supplies carelessly, especially now when we are stranded on a foreign planet where we can’t possibly replicate any of these devices. Anyone with a half-decent processor would know how to keep their things in check.”

After that, everyone made sure to steer clear from Ratchet’s working area – even Smokescreen have started to clean up after himself to avoid being blamed for anything missing. Eventually, Ratchet got tired and decided maybe he was slipping – “ Primus maybe I am starting to become forgetful” which was almost impossible considering that they don’t fail to recall valuable information the same way humans do. It made him wonder if human forgetfulness was contagious.

He was starting to make peace with it until the night where he had placed an Energon cube on the table, only to find it missing once he returns from his trip to the archive room. He assumed Optimus, who was nearby, had drunk it – but it was unlikely for the Prime to just devour his meal without a single glance. He wanted to propose the idea of a thief living amongst them, but that would surely make Optimus send him to bed rest.

But strangely enough, once the disappearance stopped, he started hearing things instead. In the beginning, he thought it was his audio receptors deceiving him – but he would start hearing bells. As much as he wanted to ignore the ringing, it persisted mercilessly, to the point where he couldn’t type in the correct words.

“ Jack, for the love of the Thirteen would you please keep that cat out of the base,” He had called out once, eyes glued onto the screen. The ringing seized, and that was enough to send him back to work. It was only when they continue at night did Ratchet wonder if he had left the cat to stay with them within the base.

The ringing eventually grew into footsteps, one he would hear throughout the day, even if he swore the base was empty. The running would pull him out of his thoughts, and he’d have to put down his tools to walk through the hallways, only to find it the way he had left it – empty. One time he had peered into the hallways where they’re keeping the Iacon relics, having sworn he heard Miko’s giggling and footfalls bouncing off the walls. Only to find one light bulb flickering on the far end.

“ What in –“

He whipped his head around, hearing the sound disappear down the hallway next to him. He walked over it, following the laughter and footfalls, “ Miko if you won’t stop running I will –“

Yet once he reached the sparing room, the girl was nowhere to be seen – and Ratchet had to keep his anger in check. “ Miko, I am not interested in playing this Earth game of yours, don’t you think I am a poor choice for hide and seek?”

“ Ratchet?”

The medic jumped, whirling around to see June staring up at him. “ Nurse Darby,” He ex-vented, putting a hand on his chest, eyes briefly darting around, “ You shocked me.”

She peered past his legs, before craning her neck to observe him.

“ I just arrived from my shift. Who were you talking to?”

“ Miko,” He sighed.

At the lack of response, Ratchet looked down at her. She gave him a concerned look, brows furrowing together.

“ Ratchet, it’s Friday. Miko’s in school.”

At this, Ratchet followed her gaze to the clock by the wall, which showed barely a minute past noon – and Ratchet had to ignore the sensation slithering down the column of his neck.

* * *

He has been circling the base for half an hour now, trying and failing to locate the source of the noise. In the beginning, he thought it was another of his deranged hallucinations – one that he had tried solving by going out for long drives at night. Yet, it was raining outside, and when the storm should have drowned out the noise, it only seemed to amplify it – forcing him to zone into the music. It would not be the first time that Miko or Jack had left their phones lying around to ring incessantly.

Only to find that it was coming from the human radio lying by a room he had never entered before. It was laying atop a single crate, the melody fighting with the static. He was even surprised that such primitive technology still functions even when it’s collecting dust, considering that he doubts the children would use anything of the kind when they have phones.

He approached it, inching closer to the middle of the darkroom to pluck the small device in his hands. He tapped it against his open palm once, twice, before it shuts down the third time. Then the light pouring out of the door disappeared, as the door slid shut to lock him in.

He placed a hand on the door, groaning, “ Smokescreen if this is your idea of a joke – “

He stopped.

Smokescreen just left for patrol an hour ago.

“ Help !” He shouted, pounding against the metal. “ Curse this –“

That’s when he heard it, the subtle noise of something moving behind him. Someone was dragging the crate, and it slid across the floor noisily, inch by inch – and for some reason, Ratchet couldn’t bring himself to turn around. And so he stared ahead, lost in the sound of his own Energon rushing inside his wires.

He could hear the crate, once upright, creaking, before toppling down to create a loud crash that sent him into slamming his fist against the door. Once it slid open, he fell forward, and as Arcee and Bumblebee propped him up, he couldn’t hear a word anyone was saying – eyes never leaving the radio peaking out of the fallen boxes.

Only at night did he realize that Agent Fowler had once said that radios needed antennas to work, and the one he held didn’t have one.

* * *

“ You have been losing recharge, old friend.”

Ratchet turned around to watch Optimus approach him, a subtle frown replacing his usual smile at the sight of Ratchet hunched against the computer. The older mech let out a short laugh, “ It is nothing I can not handle, Optimus. Don’t worry about me.”

He resumed typing, but Optimus stood his ground, and Ratchet doesn’t need to look to know that his frown only grew deeper.

“ Your recent behavior would lead me to believe otherwise. Is something bothering you, Ratchet? You know anyone in this Base would be more than happy to help you.”

He stopped typing, eyes darting to the corner of the room. Optimus however, remained passive, keeping his eyes on Ratchet.

“ Ratchet?”

The medic sat down, urging Optimus to place both hands on his shoulder as he breathed out. Only then did Ratchet finally understand what the human phrase meant because his blood did run cold at the epiphany that it was only him who could hear the stray footsteps loitering around the room.

* * *

When Raf wordlessly gave him the rosary crucifix, Ratchet wanted nothing more than to tell him it won’t do him any good. But the boy didn’t seem to take no for an answer – “ I heard about what happened from Bumblebee. I know you don’t believe in spirits, but this usually makes me sleep better at night.” He removed the necklace from under the collar over his shirt, passing it on to the mech.

Ratchet wordlessly took it in his palm, and later that night he left it on his table, the silver glinting under the moonlight shining in from the windows. Ratchet would like to think it was because he’s tired that he fell into recharge so quickly, and that it has nothing to do with the cross Raf had given him.

* * *

He awoke somewhere between two am.

The moonlight had disappeared, blocked out by the clouds that have brought in the rain. The raindrops bounced off the roof above, the pitter-patter noisy enough to have woke him. But Ratchet was used to that – even if the concept had been strange to him the first time he arrived on Earth.

No, he was awake because he could feel that someone was in the room.

He sat up, and by the door, he could see the clear silhouette of a figure standing by the door. He blinked, rubbing his optics, and once they’ve adjusted the clear outline of a person disappeared. He looked around the room, trying to make out the shadows. Thunder clapped in the distance, and once he laid back down he couldn’t move his eyes away from the table –

Raf’s crucifix, nowhere to be found.

* * *

It was Sunday, meaning that Agent Fowler would come and visit in person. Ultra Magnus was helping him catalog several of the data into the computer when the children arrived, June was with them, quick to make conversation with Optimus.

“ We should get a new couch in here,” Miko declared, taking out her picnic blanket from her pack to unfurl it on the floor. “ And a tv too !”

“ We should tell that to Agent Fowler,” Jack agreed, lowering himself across her, “ So the next time he comes here, we could continue playing Mario Kart. Too bad we can’t revive our high scores.”

“ At least we have a base,” Ratchet sighed, before adding – muttering under his breath, “ It was better than the previous one.”

Miko however, was quick to catch on, being perceptive even when she was chewing on her chips, “What’s wrong with our old base?”

Ratchet gave her a side-look, “ It was noisy.”

“ Really?” Raf frowned, opening his can of soda, “ I thought it was quaint.”

“ Perhaps that was before Jack started bringing his pet.” Ratchet recalled, realizing that it all started with the bells. At this all three children stopped what they were doing to look at each other questioningly, even June, who had overheard it by the hangar stairs had stopped walking.

“ Pet? We don’t have a pet.”

“ Don’t be ridiculous,” Ratchet argued, “ You have one! The cat.”

“ Cat? You mean Freddie? We gave him up for adoption, found out pretty quickly that we couldn’t take care of it when I’m always at school, and mom’s taking full-shifts.” Jack shrugged, “ Gave him away the day after we got him.”

There was a moment where Ratchet didn’t say anything, prompting the kids to get up and call his attention. Even Ultra Magnus had separated himself from the monitor to approach the medic. “ Hey, Ratchet,” Miko carefully asked, “ What’s wrong?”

“ What in the Sam Hill is going on here?”

At the sight of Fowler, Miko was quick to interrupt his conversation with the second in command. “ Hey Agent Fowler, the location of our old base, it doesn’t happen to have any…supernatural background does it ?”

Her oddly specific question had caused him to stumble upon his sentence, pulling his attention away from Ultra Magnus to address the girl. “ Well…why do you ask?”

“ Just curious.”

As if realizing that everyone was waiting for his answer, he adjusted his tie to clear his throat, “ I didn’t take you as the type to believe in such nonsense. But there used to be a rumor that it was once a graveyard, I hardly believe it’s true. Besides, I ain’t afraid of no ghost.”

He shuffled his papers, “ In all seriosuness. There’s no such thing as spirits, kids.”

“ D-do you hear that?”

The rainy season had long passed, and this time the pitter-patter of the storm wasn’t here to cover up the noise coming from the hallway. Anticipation hung in the air, and for a fragment of a second, Ratchet could hear the light jingling of a bell, and he didn't know if it was better or worse - that this time, judging from the look everyone has, he wasn't the only one who heard it.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh this made me realize how much I missed writing !!  
> * I headcannon Miko as half Indonesian because her voice actress is Indonesian ! And I'm Indonesian so this is self indulgent lol , plus Indonesians are very superstitious
> 
> Tell me what you guys think <3


End file.
